LITERATURE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4197, 3 October 1881, Page 4

LITERATURE.

« THfi GHOST IN THE GRAND STAND. By Paul Hbadlby. (TForW.) You do not believe in seoond sight ? Well, first-hand evidence is alwaya better than hearlay, and a grain of fact well worth a ton of theory. Without offering any explanation, kit merely stating the Dare outline of a strange experience, I will tell what it waa converted me. In 185—1 7*13 staying at a famous country hou-? in a picturesque neighbourhood on th.™ Sussex Hills. The houao— we will call it. High Oakhurst— waa well removed from the aitorios of civilised life, coach-roads and railways. Ifc was in part very old, built Btrangely into the aide of a hill, so that from the wineries one could walk through conservatories straight on to thelawnß. The qtraggling wing 9, added from time to time by various •wners, were wrapped in ivy and wiateria. literally embosomed amid dense shrubberies md woodland, the oentral tower commanded glorious views towards every horizon. Tet (here was a solitariness and eveu eerineat tefcout the spot. It waa isolated by the steepfteaa of the hills whioh led up to it. In hot audaummer, when the sun bathed the lawns, which fell away all round, in the shimmering heat, making the landscape seem to swim, and giving the larch-wood an almost dazzling greenness — then it was all that a work' wearied sauntering Londoner could desire But the place on a dripping autumn day wus ■very dreary 5 while in chilly weather the easl wind would mußter from town battalions ol •smoke-wreaths, which would roll over the bills and up the hollows, until the briehl colouring of the Sussex landscape waa turnuci into the dull drabs and grays of a Highland •moorland in a mist. And tha wind would sigh ub I never heard it elaewhere. My host, Geoffry Kendal, was the soul oi hospitality. ) hough the house was free from tbe flavour of stable-Blang, which during tiu race-weeks pervaded fcho whole wintry-side, tho house-parties for tho summ-r meeting wero traditionally charming. In ris particular year we were apparently a *■ 11-assortcd and' congenial circle ; Bella JAudal, (he duuiihler of tho houso— her moth' *as dead \ _ Ir J-endul's ward, Evelyn Lilluoi^n, a wil' dowered maiden, the heroine of the incident —a blonde tall boauty; Bhe had a touch ol the sunny South in her breeding and look sufficient, porhapß, to account for her slightb melancholy air, which, however, her manj admirers said only made her more interesting Tom OarlyoD, an attachS on leave, one o! ' those favouritos of society who had travelled but vvaasonK'thing boyond a imero incarta*;.; B-doker, who had 'read, bufc did nofc quo.* you in: o boredom j the Tery embodiment •■ the iichfc address nnd oheory stoicism, thi geniaffao-bife of viowinglife and merrily inter proving ifc, which aro the Bpeoial virtuos of t.'n bo!>l type of the ao-called man about to =• n Tlio party wn? to havo been completed '03 Paul Sliiofc, a lieutenant in tho Rifles, bes and busiest --I "Sweeps," familiarly known from his brisk omuiscienoo and roady tongue ac ihe Bluebottle; and m?, a somewhn drcs-uiy r.Oiii'fchine, unfairly er-.difced with.' Ojnituui whie'i made mo Ihe butt of on mere rouiat.tio pot. Bufc the spirit of mischief or th* mje'.orious workings of ihanco, run induced a Mrs Herriard to invite herself '0 the week. A very fascinating v idow,.'ir:d i confidential friend and favourite withr al whom she met, Bhe possessed the most vora oioua appetite for flirtation ; nofc oufc of a:v oraffc or Bubtelty, bufc, bb we supposed, fro 1 moro love of testing her own powers of ofc traction, and these were indeed considerable To the girltf a porfeot model, she was to thi men a father confessor, a patron saint, <>. atnbuknco for wounded hearts. Bho had in unfortunate passion for stage effeofc, and ho. often httlf-aevioujly regretted that sho h_« never had Iho chance of playing a part in 1 reul tragedy, " grand, epic, homicidal." Th olmncn came at i »sfc. Our houso party was complete on th' Monday. On the Monday night thero was 1 great ball. Thero waa v fcaoifc understand^ that Oarly ou and Evelyn Lillaßton, who hai long been devotedly attached, would announei their engagement in the course of the week Strangely enough, at the ball Mrs Herrisn and Tom were inseparable. Sho had openr--the campaign by insisting on .hia driving bf over to Ot in his own dogcart, which h had brought wifch him on hia visit. A 1 duncod almost incessantly with him fchrougi the evening. Ifc waa only on returning in tin early morning that I learnt the remarks thai hnd boen made concerning Mrs Herriard uui hei' rather outrageous flirtation. I felt, in fact, I was a galled jade, and mj withers too were wrung, for I had well-m'sl monopolized Bella. . Bufc Hetty sab in hei oornor of tho carriage dumb. And, md od with good reason 5 for, beyond a duty squun dunce, Tom had cut her the wholo ovening through. There was an awkward obatiniti look in bur eyes ; and in spite of the glint ol her golden bair there was a suspicion o temper, a certuinty of strong will, in hei ahanely mouth ; she had beea from childhood " wilful and impetuous, and slow to forgivo am forget. I had evon long ago ralliod Carlyoc on the ugly prospeot of a jealous wife with t trying temper. Bella, who had long beei Evelyn's affectionate watchdog, had prcphe sied that tho "affair," as sho termed th( avowed understanding h?» "•'-•* her frionc and Carlyon, should coma off • >re tho weet was out, or "she would kin - the reoßor why." And to ua baohelora >..' unspeakabh terror lurked in hor fervid th-eats. .Whe could doubt the oracles of ao ]>n-. ty a sybil ? Next day it waa clear a Bfcorm was brewing Evolyn was wan and gloomy. Herself the vory soul of sincerity, Bhe was apparently toe real to boo thafc her rival had so far only b.ier indulging thafc sonße of sway whioh is as the air ahe brontheß to every be;*»vt.iful woman ; that she bad merely beon plflApg at singeing tbe foolish winga of one of oTOioty'B butter flies. Bufc tho widow waa miatress of the crescendo of love-making, and as the (kj passed it looked as though she meant mis. chief. Her " flat," Bhe told Carlyon at lun oheon, waa dull, and her life solitary ; what would ho prescribe ? And Tom, whose knowledge of men and women wbb a by-word among hia acquaintance, kept rising to 'he bait or a frivolouß adventure**, whose chiol occupationß wero reading lovo-storios or writ ing love-loiters. On Tuesday ovening we were aitting on a lawn in fcho hoarfc of tho shrubbery, chatlini] of last night' a danco, and ditcusaing to-mor-row's programmo. Dinner >"1 como and gone; and though it was gotti> ..-• late, as tho maiden aunt, and chaperon tool: • ire to W'*,rn us, the throb of tho ni^hlingal'-' song almost over our heiul?, and tho fresh f.'-granco of « Bummw ni'*ht, had tempted u» still to prolong tho gosoipiog unambitious talk whioh had wondered over Patti's singing,^ the Acudomy, and fcho coup d'ttat in tbe Jfrenr-.h capital. * The Bluebottle was cv«n beginning to murmur vory inadequately some broken •fragmonfcf: of sentimental verso, whon we discovered tlmt three of tho party were mi' - ing. Almost immediately after, wo wore atartled by high voices in "the neighbouring •walk, oloar find metallio in tho still nifflit. Thoy wern ihoiio of Evelyn, now pleading, now anpry ; wliilo at times wo hoard T;j ;n'a ana worsj bill ivy und defiant. And then we ihoard hor say »ho would never 1 peak to him or soo him tig-tin ; and with a putuionato burst of sobs sh;- ran into tbe houao. Wo n*ver know tho facta. We inferred that Evelyn _ad discororetl Tom and the widow in tete-h---iete, and hnd attacked him there and thon with justifiable, but ill-judged, vohomenco. long after, in talking ovor the ooourrenoea of that nighfc nnd tho nexfc day, tho truth of the rutrged poet's word-sketoh haa como homo fco mc : " Tlio littlo more, and how much it is t The littlo less, and what worlds awuy !" If Carlyon bad only, aB tho nursery peacemakers teach, said he was Rorrv, he might havo saved himsolf and other* 1 1 lifelong regret. But it was not to be ; urrl tho foolish prido which hn* olton kct/t »r ovon driven apart human atoms, in spite of mutually niuguotic! nllinitius, waa to provo once more an clement ol -L-par.tlijn. Whon Tom sauntered up to our ui-jup wifch tho c««m belli on ]\U arm, looti.--: handsome und victorious, ho greeted us with oomo slight forced wittici-mi on Btargazii." and lunacy, and, after tt fow momenta of goneral ombarr."».-*sment, turned to the house and was gone. His b'lrsh tono?, so unlike hi* usu».l mellow voico, stillgratoon my ear. Thov were liko tbo-'o of a prisoner at tho bar, who, when the fatal verdict is brought into Oouri, knows by intuition what tho sontonca must; be, and, though conscious of hi* guilt, tollo bin own falso version of liis miserable erimo oneo more. Next day tbo weather vus nil that could be desired. Rain had fallen in tho night, and low floocy cbuds swam ovor tho brov.n moorlands, wLioii w.n'o olrea-dy frreen ;i planes wilh tha tondei* shoots of tho young brack- 11. Somehow or other a cloud too had passed over

our circle— a shadow, moreover, that would nofc come and go like tho mist on the hills. In vain Elliot trotted out his best stories at tho breakfast-table. Somehow thej seemed to lack f reßhnos?, or fell flat in the telling. We woro all an octave too low. Miss Lillaston, usually the life of the party, did not appear at all ; \ and her maid had exoused her presence on the I score of that ready plea of the elastio feminine conscience, a headache. Perhaps, in faot, we J had none of us slept well. Whether it waß a j heart unhinged by the stargazing and sentiment of the preceding night, or mere downright dyspepsia, or a sense of coming trouble, , I felt, liko a Greek chorus, inclined to prophesy of evil in the air. Only j tho charming widow was herself. Her toilette wa9 exquisite, her spirits un- " flagging, and her talk really brilliant. But , good talk, when you are oufc of taate for it, ia liko Chambertin when you are bilious, and , only serves lo make bad worse. Even Kendal ' waa almost sulky. Tho rain had drowned many of fche young birds, the keeper reported j \ and it was not until the drag came round i thafc he recovered his normal smooth, ger-i---fc alifcy. Before we started Bella made a wella planned descent upon Evelyn's quarters, but l# found her door looked and thd voluntary j. prisoner obdurate. She was ill, she said, and preferred to remain afc home. So Bella reI turned from a fruitless errand, and after I those prolonged delays which seem unavoidable in packing a drag (it is nervous work foi .. the master of the ceremonies to avoid the '.' dislocation of elective affinities !) we at last j "got under way. Now from my corner seal '1. on the coaoh I could command the whole f facade of the house ; and unless my eyes 0 strangely misled me, I Baw, aa we drove off j. a pale anxious face peep from the window ol j the west-room, as Evelyn's sanctum wart oalled. Tho glimpse of her dishevelled head j was no oheorful tonio wherewith to begin t day of festivity, f But the bright sunshine and Bweet nil n would have made a hamlet cheerful 0 Geoffry Kendall had been a famous mili tary whip, and waß full of ripe and rid ' Indian experiences. The Bluebottle dropped . quaint stories, and Mrs Horriard talkec |j faster than ever— perhapß at times a trith fr too fast, as though her nerves were rathei . high strung, and her conscience afc times [I pricked her. But she failed to rally Ton j. Carlyon oufc of his " megrims," as she called |f the gloom and silonce which had settled 01 : him. ,' Thore is no need for me to describe the v scone of the great July meeting. Once 01 ". twice I fancied Carlyon gazed wistfully to ( o wards tho hills, dappled by passing cloud i l shadows. We were to have a large party tc j lunch, ahd a constant stream of friends anr c acquaintances kept dropping in, all full oi f tho gossip of tho course, pointing out th< ' celebrities, or lamenting the absence of ole „_ familiar faces. When our hamoors were un ~ p packed, we were a sufficiently lively party ' Ifc was true that many of our visitors mad< _ pressing inquiries after the " girl we left •[ behind ua." But Mrs Herriard was alwayi } ready to parry the attaok and turn the drifi B of conversation. Many of our visitors wer< "J part of her bodyguard, which tho aomewha ' unconventional hospitalities of her " flat ' '. nerved to knife together into a compnet suiti c on all occasions. In timo the incomers driftet ( | off and fought their way back to their varioui )r ralhing-pols on tho fringo of tho courw a Tho day had turned gloomy. Large rain ft dropa began to fall, and a storm was gather inz, with every prospect; of a wet drive home „ We were posting ourselves for tho gre-» *' event. Tho blaok waves of humanity h- n ( fc . parted, and the broad strip of turf was one moro clear. Of the men of tho party, onl; ' Tom and I had Btayed in the box. Suddenl; . tho door opened, and Evelyn entered. Sb still wore tho dress of the nigafc before, an< j fche faded bunoh of stophanotis was slil r , fastened to her throat. Her hands wer „ tightly olaspod in front, and hor hai sfcreamod below her waist in long wav; tresses. Her face was haggard and deadlj pale, her lips livid blue, and hor eyes wor ' the stony afcare of insanity. I suppose ] uttered some cry of surprise ; for Ton ? Os-rlyon turned round, and for an instant hi ,„ faco had a look of horror and asfconishmon i combined which baffles description. Sprins* 1 j ing up from his seat, ho approached th y, figure, aid fallowed ifc as ifc retreated toward the door. But whon ifc passed outside, ther ws9 no traco of Evelyn on the staircase. 0 A horriblo presentiment fell on both o f . v k when our eyes met. Wo agreed, without 1 word spoken between us, to mention what wi had seen to no one. I did nofc see or hea: j much of fche Goodwood Cup raoe of 185 — bufc I have an indistinct remembrance of thi flash of passing colours ; and tho howl of thi j t crowd, aB the race was lost and won, seemi liko an evil dream. By common consent, thi 1 horses were put to immediately 5 arid in ai ' hour, amid torrents of rain, we drove up t( , 0 . The doctor's viotoria waa at fcho door Jj the horses panting and foam-flecked. Scarci f an hour before, Evelyn's lifeless cruahec c womanhood had been picked up, by tho few ' servanta left at homo, on tho floor of tho hall . which was lighted by a skylight, and extendec i tho wholo hoighfc of the house. The uppei stories opened intD ifc by means of galleries but we never kniw for certain the facta Evelyn still wore, wo are told, the muslii dress ond stephanotis of fche night before. Aprhsl Kendal sold fcho place noxfcautumn Somo wealthy notable from Capel Cour bought ifc, grim tradition and all. Perhaps fcho weird story which haunt 3 fcb< West-room (they say it is evon more than 1 story) helped to ran up fche price that wa: paid, and gave the house an aristocratic flavoui t of real tangible romance. Before it changec *' hands I stayed thoro ono night, and slept ir the chamber thab wa9 Evelyn's boudoir anc bedroom, for tho houso was full ; but I cannol say I found my rest refreshing. Carlyon has beon for many -years a wealth] farmer in Queensland ; and they say hi< ° grown-up sous are persuading him to brinr c his fortuno home.. And Mrs Herriard is stil Julia Herriard : pray, cynical, and less con ventional than ever ; but, in spite of invita tions numberless and pressing, sho has novel . seen a horßo-race since.